Liz Wismer-Van Meer was born and raised in Woodstock. Her family have been in the community for over 70 years owning a number of local businesses, and they all share a deep love for this community. Liz married her high school sweetheart Mike; they have two children Addison & Quinten, their dog Trey (who they adopted two years ago) and their rabbit, Bun Buns, found in an abandoned parking lot. Liz loves being involved in the community; volunteering, working with and helping others, and giving back. Many of us came to know Liz in the time she worked with Heart FM on the morning show. She has since moved on to the not-for-profit world and is now the Resource Development Manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oxford County.
Listening to Shelley tell her story, hearing about the experiences and dire conditions that so many women and children were living in, Liz felt called to help further. Soon after, Liz was signed up. She currently holds the positions of Gems & Java Committee Member, and Gems & Java Silent Auction Committee Chair - two very busy and important roles for the team.
She absolutely loves the amazing women and men she works with in planning Gems & Java. There are many hours put into pulling this event together, but for Liz, just knowing that many lives are being changed because of the hard work and dedication of volunteers here in Canada inspires her.
Liz believes future volunteers should check out the vision and mission of Hearts For Ethiopia by checking out the website or Facebook; read about the projects we are supporting and hear the success stories. She would encourage anyone to take the opportunity to attend Gems & Java, even just once to see what it is all about. The beauty of this organization is there are so many ways to get involved and so many uses for a variety of talents and skill sets. Liz guarantees you will find something that works for you, and the difference you will make for the women and children in Ethiopia is truly life changing! Plus, there is an amazing group of volunteers to get to know. Volunteers like Liz Wismer-Van Meer.
Liz quotes Ghandi: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”